Promising basic research: The 2016 ONR Young Investigators

The Office of Naval Research announced today awards of $25 million through its 2016 Young Investigator Program (YIP), to 47 scientists whose exceptionally creative research holds promise across a range of naval-relevant science and technology areas, from robotics to solar cells.

The ONR YIP is one of the oldest and most selective scientific research advancement programs in the country. Its purpose is to fund early-career academic researchers--called investigators--whose scientific pursuits show outstanding promise for supporting the Department of Defense, while also promoting their professional development.

According to Dr. Larry Schuette, ONR's director of research, "The YIP Program is in its 31st year at ONR and the award is still very competitive. We are fortunate to be able to attract the top researchers to the fundamental science that underpins the Navy and Marine Corps of today, tomorrow and the future."

For awardees, the funding supports laboratory equipment, graduate student stipends and scholarships, and other expenses critical to ongoing and planned investigational studies. Typical grants are $510,000 over a three-year period with additional funds available for equipment.

This year's candidates were selected from 280 highly qualified applicants based on past performance, technical merit, potential scientific breakthrough and long-term university commitment. All are college and university faculty who have obtained tenure-track positions within the past five years.

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